Second practice session in Mexico: Leclerc/Ferrari P1, Verstappen crash, Hamilton out

The first practice session had shown that the track, with its freshly resurfaced sections between turns 11 and 1, allows for fast lap times, even if grip remains tricky due to the altitude. We saw plenty of spin-outs and over-braking incidents – business as usual at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez.

The session got underway with an air temperature of 25 degrees and a track temperature of 39 degrees. But not straight away for Haas driver Oliver Bearman. A new power unit from Ferrari had to be fitted to his car.

On the teams’ to-do list: setting up the cars for the tricky circuit and testing the various tyre compounds. Pirelli had brought along the three softest compounds: C3 (hard, marked white), C4 (medium, yellow) and C5 (soft, red).

Max Verstappen (who wasn’t in the car during the first practice session) took to the track straight away on soft tyres. Meanwhile, the other Haas driver also had his worries. Esteban Ocon complained that he had no power steering available. And Bearman, now out on the track, came to a standstill but managed to get the car moving again and returned to the pits at a slow pace.

Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson complained about being held up: “Am I invisible or something?”

Topic of the week

Soon-to-be world champion Kimi Antonelli: The inevitable will then follow in Mexico

The 20-year-old Italian Kimi Antonelli had the chance to secure the 2026 World Championship title at the US Grand Prix. He did everything right: victory in Texas. The title celebrations have nevertheless been postponed. Until Mexico.

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Mexico City: Rennen Re-Live

FIA Formula One World Championship

01.11.2026 - 23:15

Standings after ten minutes: Leclerc, Hamilton, Piastri, Norris, Verstappen, Russell.

Trouble for Audi driver Gabriel Bortoleto: a leak in the battery cooling system forced the young Brazilian to take a break.

The McLaren duo of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris also struggled to find the right braking point for Turn 1, with the Australian Grand Prix winner first over-braking, followed by the 2025 World Champion from England.

Is this a race yet? Liam Lawson and Max Verstappen were locked in a fierce battle; neither was willing to give way, and parts of the front wing on Lawson’s car flew off. Race control brought out the red flag to clear the debris from the track.

The stewards announced they would review the heated incident involving the two Red Bull drivers.

Lawson on the radio: “He just drove straight into me, mate, right into me. Every weekend!”

Verstappen’s car was also damaged, to the left air deflector located below the sidepod.

After a seven-minute break, the race resumed. Standings after 20 minutes: Leclerc, Hamilton, Piastri, Antonelli, Norris, Verstappen. The top five were on medium tyres, Verstappen on softs.

Still no sign of Audi driver Bortoleto.

Kimi Antonelli moved up to P2 (still on medium tyres), whilst the Ferraris were now on soft Pirellis. Monaco’s Leclerc (fastest in the first practice session) overdid it before the stadium section, disrupted by Cadillac driver Pérez, and had to abort his run. McLaren driver Lando Norris took the lead.

Leclerc on a fresh attempt: he braked far too late going into the first corner, so that lap was also a write-off.

To make matters worse, he also received a warning from the race stewards for irregular driving.

Lewis Hamilton fell short of expectations, finishing P4 behind Norris,

Then a warning from Ferrari: “Lewis, we have to stop the car.” The seven-time world champion pulled the Ferrari over to the left-hand side of the track, triggering a virtual safety car period. The Englishman climbed out of the car – that was it for him.

Earlier, Lewis had reported over the radio: “I’ve got no engine power left.”

The 30 minutes lost by the Brit mean: no experience with the soft tyres, and a gap in experience compared to Leclerc. His weekend has just become more difficult.

Leclerc made a fresh attempt on used soft tyres – two tenths faster than Norris, back in the lead!

Shortly afterwards, Lando tried unsuccessfully to beat this fresh fastest time. The same went for Antonelli and Russell, who also failed to dislodge Leclerc from the top spot.

Charles Leclerc was thus the fastest driver throughout Friday (just as he was a week earlier in Texas). The Tifosi can dream.